How to Build Your Brand in Social Media For Your Job Search

This weekend, I hosted my first face-to-face social media strategy session for job seekers. I wanted to pay it forward and help my fellow project managers with tips on using social media for your job search. That is what inspired this latest video I created.

Some focused branding strategies based on each person’s use of social media, LinkedIn profile revamp and specific online activity recommendations, and some automating tools and techniques to keep the whole engine running.
The main focus was on LinkedIn, and how you can tap into groups, your networks, and advanced search.

We talked about minimizing efforts in receiving information (especially with RSS feeds) and then sharing that valuable information with various social networks, especially LinkedIn groups. We also discussed making the content precise and targeted based on goals. That’s strategy at its finest.
From all that was discussed in this private session, I found that using the example of my own online activity showing up in Google Search, was eye-opening for the small group. Have you Googled yourself lately? If you are a business, you probably have, as well as look for your competitors, but the ANALYTICS are very important if you want to see what a recruiter will see when they look for you. Google alert - it doesn’t hurt! It would hurt more if the recruiter didn’t find you and moved on, right?

Some of you may be just Spectators, and that’s OK.

But if you are looking for a job, and social media is free, how can you not tap into it? Well, except your time, but use tools to help you automate as much as possible.

There are new tools popping up every day, and there always will be. Come to think of it, if you want to keep on top of a Certified Project Manager who’s a Social Media Strategist, you can automate and subscribe to this blog, right? Look forward to hearing from you!

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Ford's Approach to Social Media

It's great to hear a company that is using social media and recognizing their niche offerings when approaching twitter their social media efforts, especially twitter. You don't have to lump the conversation all under one umbrella, but you can focus your messages and have intelligent conversation with customers by segmenting your market's needs (i.e. customer service, product line, etc.). Would have liked to have heard Scott Monty more, as his dialogue was brilliantly focused on the customer and serving their needs. Kiwibox seems like a valuable offering, for a very targeted teen market. I just think they are very different offerings, and could have been best served with two separate discussions. I most wanted to hear about one of the leading U.S. company's successful use of social media - Ford Motor Company. Enjoy!

WOW - my 1st screen capture: How To Insert YouTube Video on a SlideShare/LinkedIn Presentation

via screenr.com

Blame it on the optimization gene - I love Web 2.0 tools, and have to thank @PhilBaumann for sharing this one with me. After having shared how to pull an RSS feed for LinkedIn/Q&A, I wanted to return the favor by doing the same for him and others - a really cool video with how to insert video in your slideshare presentations on LinkedIn- especially if your tips are about LinkedIn! That's the audience that needs your tips, now go make 'em say WOW! :)

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The Close Relationship Between Bloggers and Marketers - eMarketer

via emarketer.com

Great post by eMarketer.com with good survey coverage.

So out of a sample size of 233, surveyed recently, a whopping 100% of them were contacted by PR firms. What does that mean for bloggers? What does it mean for PR firms?

Well, I think that the audience is valuable for both - for bloggers, they get to receive the content that is of most value to THEM, pertaining to some subject matter of importance - and noted as EQUALLY important to maintain transparency.

And for PR firms, the audience of bloggers is of value to them because they can spread the word, hopefully of what the PR firms tells them to spread. I found it very fitting recently when mommy bloggers instituted a blackout.

But I DO think that the value of transparency for marketers is critical. Especially since it is obvious that businesses taking on social media have SOME marketing objective, and PR objectives in mind, with a return on their investment needed.

So marketers need to take note that bloggers are ON it. They get their value, and know their place - so to tap in, join the conversation and add VALUE. You can have a place in the blogger line, you just have to have some currency in your wallet when you get to the register to check out!

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Which Social Media Channels Should You Be Using?

via socialmediatoday.com

Just a quick microblog post today, for this SocialMediaToday post by Jordan Julien. He really shares the point that social media needs to be customized, for your own particular needs - and he does a really quick breakdown or the pros of each, whether you're a business or a consumer.

And I thought the visual really popped, too.

So let's see, if blogs are best used for B2B, I guess you came because you have some interest in social media, definitely for learning how to best use and optimize the medium. Maybe it's for your business, or maybe you're a job seeker, who's in the business of selling their services for employment. Either way, it's a business interest we both have. Do you agree? Please post your comments. Love to hear!

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The Social Media Project Manager Movie- How U Can Manage Your Teams and Projects

via projectmanagementguide.org

Found this insightful presentation that ties together social media and project management. For anyone that is putting together a social media marketing campaign (which is a project in itself!), you need to always monitor and control throughout the process, and us project managers have tools to help with the methodology to track time and budget. But, a HUGE component of the process is communication. Especially if your team is using social media, what better way than to keep the lines open with all the valuable tools out there, that are ever-changing.

However, a knowledge area of project management that cannot be ignored ESPECIALLY in social media, is RISK management - not just relating to brand management, and using a monitoring service to do just that (or on your own), but with the technology becoming outdated and replaced. What are you gonna do?

A social media project manager HAS to stay on top of technologies to be successful. And that is why I share this communication with you today, because slideshare is a really neat way to do it.

Sometimes there is something that you just want to share, 'nuff said.

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Google Voice - Currently Invite Only - The latest truly mobile craze

via youtube.com

WOW. Checking out today's twitter trends, I saw quite a buzz going on over google voice. And yesterday, I was telling someone on a conference call about Google Wave.

Not having a phone number tied to a phone will make us truly mobile. Just wanted to do a short micro blog post about it, taking a break from my usual social media post - but, hey, I'm using social media to do THIS, right? It's automated through posterous from a button on my browser toolbar, and automatically posts to twitter and facebook.

Now, if I just could figure out how to include LinkedIn status updates, that would be the ultimate trifecta!

When we get an implant chip in our hand (now that will be the day) how much more social media will I be able to take on?? I just don't want to know where the fax comes out.

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